Man Utd to ‘reward’ Carrick with £43m Liverpool target as rivals ‘perplexed’ – report

Manchester United are reportedly keen to ‘reward’ Michael Carrick with a signing, while TEAMtalk can reveal their “belief” about the interim head coach.

Under Carrick, the Red Devils have won six of their eight Premier League games and are primed to qualify for the Champions League.

This form has dramatically improved Carrick‘s hopes of landing the Man Utd manager’s job permanently, with Spanish reports claiming INEOS are ‘very impressed’ and ‘want to reward’ him with the ‘priority’ signing of Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.

Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, has made the ‘final decision’ to leave Dortmund as he enters the final year of his contract in the summer and wants to join the Premier League or La Liga.

It will not be easy for Man Utd to secure Schlotterbeck’s services, even though it was reported last month that his price tag has been reduced to £43m.

Liverpool and Real Madrid have been credited as being interested in signing the talented German international, with a report last week claiming a European giant were closing in on securing his services.

Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Man Utd’s ‘real belief’ with Carrick

With how Man Utd’s form and performances have picked up, there is now an increasingly real chance of Carrick being their next permanent boss. However, a deal is not as far along as some say.

We revealed on Tuesday that club chiefs remain insistent that an appointment will only be made following a full and extensive search, though TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey believes Carrick is in a strong position.

Bailey said:“ United love Michael Carrick, they are really, really excited by him and what he has done.

“But they don’t want to get carried away, just as many accused them of doing with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“But this feels very different. There is a real belief that Carrick could be nearing perfection for the club going forward.”

He added: “And whilst Jason Wilcox is very happy, he isn’t resting on his laurels, he is not patting himself on the back,” Bailey continued.

“He and Christopher Vivell are doing work on the market, talking to possible options and laying out the foundations of the club going forward.

“At the same time they are talking to the players, staff around the club and they are so pleased with the progress that has been achieved with Michael and his coaching staff.”

Latest Man Utd news: INEOS told to choose ‘elite’ Carrick alternative

However, Man Utd have been told that they would be better off appointing an ‘elite’ alternative to Carrick, and we understand that this candidate is keen on the job.

And, as well as a new centre-back, Man Utd will inevitably make moves to strengthen in other areas in the summer and this includes the winger department. Fabrizio Romano has revealed one target who is on their ‘shortlist’. 

But Man Utd will not be signing Harry Kane from Bayern Munich anytime soon, with the England international primed to pen a huge contract extension with the German giants.